A man who disappeared this afternoon while working with family members to dislodge corn in a grain bin on the family farm has been found dead in the bin, police said. The man, Leon Madey, was reported missing about 12:45 p.m. after family members who had been working with him returned after leaving the area of the bin for a while, found the man’s truck but not him, and realized he may have entered into a corn bin alone and become trapped, according to the DeKalb County sheriff’s office. Public records indicate Madey was 72. Someone then called emergency crews to the farm at 37750 Genoa Road, north of Genoa near the McHenry County line, said DeKalb County Sheriff’s Chief Deputy Gary Dumdie. Crews from the Genoa-Kingston Fire Protection District and numerous other departments responded to the scene. Madey had been working with his family to dislodge corn that had become hardened in the bin, so it could be prepared for transport, according to the sheriff’s office.
Fire crews had to cut holes in the sides of the bin to try to find Madey, according to the sheriff’s office. Rescue crews worked to try to locate the victim for several hours, and his body was found in the grain bin about 4:15 p.m., Dumdie said.
The sheriff’s office and the DeKalb County coroner’s office are investigating, Dumdie said.
Madey lived at the farm, according to public records.
